Sudanese Commission Assures Timely Conduct Of Referendum

The Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) has assured South Sudanese that the plebiscite will be held on time as scheduled.

The Deputy Chairperson of the Commission who is also the Chairperson of the Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau (SSRB) Justice Chan Reec told the press in Juba early this week that the process will go on despite some challenges.

He cited funding, logistics, insecurity and flooding as some of the major threats to the smooth flow of the exercise.

He also said that the 3,275,577 South Sudanese who have registered are free to participate in the January vote.

Those registered include 116,890 South Sudanese in the North and 58,890 in the Diaspora.

“In the Diaspora registrations, Australia had 9,431, Canada had 2,294, the United Kingdom had 654, Egypt had 2,985, Ethiopia had 7,370, Kenya had 15,201, and Uganda registered 13,291 voters”, he said.

He also revealed that four million ballot papers have already been printed and the voting materials will be handed over to the Commission on December 21, 2010.

South Sudanese will go to the polls on January 9, 2010 to either vote for unity of the Sudan or separation that will see the birth of Africa’s newest state.